The smell of the smokers has replaced that of the sweets at the attraction. For the two members of the UNAF union (French National Beekeeping Union), *”this situation will drive French beekeeping to suicide”*. *”We pay charges, comply with standards.
We also face rising living costs but we cannot compete with the prices practiced abroad,”* she continues. As a result, *”Not a single French honey,”* laments Marie. And Marc adds, *”In France, 60% of the honey sold is not compliant.
“* *”It’s a real setback for our entire industry, which has been fighting against these pesticides that harm biodiversity, and therefore bees, for 25 years. In the end, it weakens all crops,”* denounces Marc. This plan, which aims to drastically reduce the use of pesticides in French agriculture, has been suspended until the agriculture fair, which will begin on February 24th.
*”It has not been said that we are stopping the Ecophyto plan (…). The reduction of pesticides is a trajectory that we will not deviate from,”* assured Christophe Béchu, the Minister of Ecological Transition. The Rhône department has more than 1500 beekeepers, while Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is the leading beekeeping region in France.